The club have decided to let the former Luton Town stopper concentrate on playing, but he will still do some coaching with the academy

Dean Brill is hoping to improve on his performances for Leyton Orient last season after dropping his coaching duties for the new 2018/19 National League term.

The O’s made the decision in the summer to bring in a goalkeeper coach and to allow the 32-year-old to focus only on playing.

Brill made no secret of the fact he enjoyed coaching the likes of Charlie Grainger, Sam Sargeant and Arthur Janata last season while playing for the first-team.

Head coach Justin Edinburgh confirmed on Saturday the club have brought in Reece Ottley as goalkeeper coach, however, to allow the current number one to concentrate on one role.

When asked about the decision, Brill said: “I did enjoy coaching and the boys were brilliant, but the manager has now given me the license to just concentrate on playing which will hopefully help me improve on last season.”

Ottley spent time with Cardiff City during his playing career before he embarked on a journey in coaching.

He spent close to seven years at Southend United working with different goalkeepers at the club before the opportunity to move to Orient arose.

After helping develop some of the academy stoppers at the Essex outfit, Ottley will now work with Brill as well as Grainger, Sargeant and Janata at Brisbane Road.

Former colleague Lee Harrison will no doubt have passed on his own knowledge of Grainger and Sargeant having worked with the pair during his one year coaching at the O’s in the 2015/16 season.

Harrison, a former goalkeeper for Orient, has spent the past two campaigns coaching the goalies at Southend while Ottley has been working with the Blues academy.

Now Ottley will get the chance to work on developing some more established goalkeepers, but this won’t be the end of Brill’s own coaching career.

The ex-Inverness Caledonian Thistle and Luton Town stopper is hoping to work with some of the goalies in the O’s academy to keep building up his experience ahead of when he does eventually retire from playing.

Brill added: “I have spoken to ‘Lingy’ (Martin Ling) and Lewis Spencer (academy manager), so I will be helping out with the academy.

“I would like to think even as an experienced player I will still be able to pass something on to Arthur, Charlie and ‘Sarg’ when they need it – if they are playing or if I am playing, so we can still work that way.

“The dynamic is good, as is the whole squad, so we are really looking forward to the new season.”

After largely impressing during his 29 appearances for Orient last term, the club could see an even better version of Brill over the coming months.